The Trouble with Dragomir Princesses
by dimkaluv
Summary: Every girl dreams about being a princess. Few actually are one. Even fewer than that are the ones who don't know it. LS SPOILERS. Rated M for sexual situations, violence, language, and spontaneous acts of dumbassery. Jill X Eddie
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I was given the idea to write a JillxEddie fic, so that's what I'm gonna do! This story is set after the events in Last Sacrifice._

**BEWARE OF LAST SACRIFICE SPOILERS!**

**Disclaimer:** Jillian and Eddie belong to Richelle Mead. I just play with them.

* * *

**The Trouble with Dragomir Princesses**

Chapter One

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Every girl dreams about being a princess. Few actually are one.

Even fewer than that are the ones who don't know it.

But I am one. And I didn't know until three years ago, the summer after I turned fifteen. Some wild stuff happened, in which I was informed of my legacy, kidnapped by a crazy old guy, and then taken to the Royal Palace where a friend of mine got shot and nearly died. Yeah, true story.

Now I'm living much more comfortably than I ever have in my life, surrounded by people that care for and protect me.

And I _hate_ it.

So you'd think being a princess is a great life and all with people fawning over you and worshipping you even though you did nothing to deserve it and could give a rat's ass about any one of them. But you live with it because your good image depends on it and decides what people think about you and the rest of your family, or what little may be left as it is in my case. No matter if you're an illegitimate child who has only recently learned who her real father is. As long as you look like you belong… you belong.

But I _don't_ belong. I may look like I do, with the evidence in my flesh and blood, but deep down I know that this isn't the kind of life I wanted to live, trapped on a compound with maximum security who decides who gets in—or in my case, _doesn't_ get out.

Which is why I'd made a plan to stow away in the trunk of one of the guardians' cars just after breakfast. I knew for a fact that Morris, my combat instructor, was heading home for a few days to be with his family in Pittsburgh. It was now or never. Serena, my guardian, wasn't around me all the time since we were safely inside the perimeter of the Royal Court and the threat of invasion by Strigoi or other enemies was low with the increase in security we'd had over the years. Serena was off at one of the guardian administrative buildings helping Hans, the guy in charge of all guardians at Court, with some paperwork regarding something Rose Hathaway, my sister – Queen Vasilisa's – guardian, needed done. Serena was trustworthy with tasks like that, which worked out well for me because it meant she wasn't around. However, that didn't mean other eyes weren't watching.

I stuffed my jacket pocket full of whatever cash I had and packed a small backpack with clothes and other essentials. I wasn't running away per se. I just needed to get away for a while. Privacy was such a rare commodity for me now with everyone watching my every move. The only thing I could think was how precious having a little privacy could be. You didn't miss it until it was gone. I'd have killed for a breath of fresh air away from all of this grandiose opulence, but I wasn't allowed to leave the compound unless I had authorization and a legion of guardians to protect me.

See, the thing is, I'm theoretically in danger of being murdered. Three years ago the last queen, Queen Tatiana Ivashkov, was assassinated by someone who was against the laws she was passing. To restore order, an election process occurred in which my sister had a serious chance of winning. But according to ancient laws of the Moroi Court, each eligible family needs at least one other blooded relative in order to receive a Council vote. In Lissa's case, no one would've been allowed to vote her Queen because she had no family. That is, until Rose found me. I'm the only thing that could keep Lissa from her throne.

It's not as if I don't like knowing who my flesh and blood is. And it's not like I don't want my sister to remain Queen. In fact, with Lissa at the throne, the world seemed to have begun to right itself. I just sometimes wish I hadn't known about this life, had never agreed to coming here and announcing my lineage in the first place. If I could stay ignorant of all of this crazy political junk, I would. I could see the pressure it was putting on my sister and could easily deal without that kind of stress in my life. As if being targeted for theoretical murder wasn't bad enough.

Sneaking out of my suite was easy, but with my current position, making my way to the parking garages without anyone seeing me would be much more difficult. I was in the courtyard by the red stone church, and I'd have to cover a lot of ground, at least twice as much, than if I'd started out from my suite. But it was essential that I come here first because this was the least likely place they'd come looking for me if it became quickly known that I was missing. As it was just after sunset, I had darkness on my side. But darkness alone wouldn't help me escape, and I had to duck behind some statues in the courtyard as a couple of guardians patrolled nearby. They weren't frantically searching for anyone, so I assumed my whereabouts were still unknown.

Both guardians were male, though one was obviously much older than the other. The younger looking one had hair that swept out at odd angles like he hadn't bothered to comb it after rolling out of bed. He was tall and lean, though obviously muscular beneath that uniform. He didn't have a stake on him like the older one did, but was wielding a smaller device in his gloved hand.

A taser, I realized.

Then suddenly I recognized who this guardian was. He was Eddie Castile, one of Rose's friends from school. I didn't know him personally, but he was partly the reason I was here now, and partly the reason Lissa was Queen. Rose once told me how he'd played a role in her finding me, and also how he protected Lissa when a Moroi tried to attack her. He'd actually done one better by staking the Moroi. Lissa had been grateful. His superiors… not so much.

Guardians are supposed to protect Moroi, not stake them, apparently even if one of the last of a royal bloodline is in life threatening danger. Personally I thought he'd done what he had to, and I believed he was still here as a practicing guardian because someone else believed him too valuable to let go. Guardians are essential to our way of life. They protect us because most of us can't protect ourselves. And with Strigoi out there picking us off one by one, every guardian is invaluable.

Eddie was looking in my direction and I tried not to make a noise, tried not to breathe, as even a small breath of air in this cold weather could give away my position. I didn't think he'd spotted me. Rather, it seemed as though he was gazing pensively at the statue I'd crouched behind – a duplicate of the one of legendary Queen Alexandra, currently dusted lightly with snow.

"Those replicas don't do justice to the real deal," the older guardian commented on a sigh, his breath swirling like smoke through the air.

"Were you there when they exploded?" Eddie asked, tucking his hands into his pants pockets.

"Yeah. Blew 'em sky high they did," the old guardian said shaking his head.

"Who did?" Eddie asked, though I knew he knew exactly who from what Rose had told me.

"We still don't know," the other guardian said. Then looking down to his wristwatch, he said, "Shift's over. Come on."

Eddie shrugged his shoulders and the two began to head away towards the main buildings. They were almost out of earshot, and I'd started to move out of my crouch when I accidentally knocked some ice from Queen Alexandra. It tinkled like broken glass as it crashed against the bronze figure, catching Eddie's immediate attention. He doubled back, stalking quietly forward, and I ceased breathing, afraid of what would happen if he came any closer.

The old guardian turned around, noticing Eddie wasn't behind him anymore. Eddie waved him over, whispering that he thought he heard something.

"Well, check it out," the other one said, pushing Eddie forward into the garden.

Who was I fooling anyway? Had I seriously thought I could get to the garages without anyone spotting me? Besides, I hadn't really even thought my plan all the way through. After escaping, assuming I could, where would I have thought to go?

I decided the jig was up and revealed myself to them. I couldn't tell if Eddie was more surprised that someone had been hiding back there or simply that it was me.

"P-Princess," he stuttered. I doubted I could ever get used to hearing that.

"Don't tase me bro," I said half jokingly with my gloved palms facing forward. He had the device ready in hand and I didn't doubt he'd use it if he thought there'd been a threat.

"What are you doing?"

"Not escaping," I muttered under my breath. Eddie's eyebrows crunched together as he offered me his hand and guided me around the ice and the short stone wall.

"Princess Jillian," the other guardian said in surprise. "What are you doing out here in the dark? Shouldn't you be at breakfast with the Queen?"

I swore in my head, realizing all of the faults in my escape plan. And not just the tiny ones, like forgetting that I eat breakfast with Lissa every morning before she gets on with her queenly duties. But big ones too, like escape from this place not being an actual possibility.

Like, ever.

At least, not without some C4 and a getaway car.

"Err, yeah. I was just headed over there," I said, smoothing my hand over the staticky ends of my hair, feeling the cold begin to seep through my jacket. Should've worn something warmer.

"I'll escort her," Eddie stated.

"Sure," the older guardian said. I really needed to learn that guy's name. "See ya next shift, Castile." Eddie nodded after him and then turned to face me.

"What were you really doing back there?" he asked suspiciously, eyeing my backpack.

"Nothing," I said taken aback.

"Well, that's funny because I could've sworn I heard you mutter something about _escaping_." He looked pointedly at me and I had a hard time trying to deny it at this point. But that didn't mean I was giving up without a fight.

"Must've been cotton in your ears," I said, shrugging my shoulders and walking off without him. He could follow me if he wanted, but I didn't need him to show me where my breakfast was cooling.

"Princess, _please_ don't do anything reckless," he said after me.

* * *

_A/N: So... what do you think so far? There's more to come, but if you leave me a friendly review the next chapter may come faster. ;)_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Hope you enjoy! :D_

**Disclaimer:** Jill and Eddie belong to Richelle Mead. I just play with them._  
_

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**The Trouble with Dragomir Princesses**

Chapter Two

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Breakfast with Lissa was a nonevent. As usual. My only living Dragomir relative would've had more interesting things to say to a plank of wood. I honestly think she wished I hadn't existed. Then she wouldn't have had to deal with the stress of being Queen of the entire vampire world since she wouldn't have met the requirements to sit at the throne. She also wouldn't have ever known that her father had cheated on her mother and accidentally made me with another woman.

That's all I was to her it seemed. A mistake.

I ate as much of my breakfast as I could while we sat in silence. Rose usually ate her meals with us. Being the Queen's best friend and guardian had its perks. She went everywhere Lissa went as was required, and never took a day off unless it was to be with Dimitri Belikov, her dhampir lover. Rose always tried to keep the conversation going when we slipped into these lulls, but right now, I wasn't in much of a talkative mood. I'd planned on not being here at all.

I wished Christian would return from his trip sooner, since things always felt less tense whenever he was around. After Lissa became Queen, he'd taken it upon himself to see to it that the Moroi population began to fight for itself. It was slow going, but he seemed to be making _some_ progress.

Typically Strigoi had worked alone; seeing as how hostile they were they tended not to work together. But lately there'd been an increase in covens, as we called them. They'd begun to band together and plot their attacks… and they were usually successful. In order to take down these covens, Christian worked with the guardians and developed a kind of strategic unit called the Royal Service Tactical Force. It featured a very small number of trained fire-wielding Moroi, and the guardians along with these Moroi would perform search and rescues and locate Strigoi covens to take down. It was hard work and required a lot of guardian support, but Christian helped as much as he could. As much as the guardians would let him. They weren't about to let Prince Christian Ozera – husband to the Queen and father-to-be – go off on Strigoi hunts, but they let him be in charge of a lot of the background stuff. I think he tried so hard because he wanted to right the mistakes of his family. His Aunt Tasha had recently been executed for assassinating Queen Tatiana. And although many never brought it up, his parents willfully turning Strigoi still affected the way others perceived him. Many still wouldn't accept him simply because of who he'd been related to.

Idiots.

I ate my breakfast as quickly as I could and then ran off to get ready for my training session.

Eddie turned out to be the one to take over my combat training while Morris was out of town for the week. This was quite the surprise for me because of the way I'd encountered him earlier in the day. It couldn't be just a mere coincidence. He also appeared to still be suspicious of me, so I contemplated whether he'd specifically asked to be assigned to me today.

I'd been learning combat for about three years now, ever since it started getting around that a select number of Moroi wanted to learn how to fight Strigoi alongside the dhampirs. Christian and Rose had been my first mentors, but ever since Lissa became Queen, I've been allowed to take more formal training. It was mostly centered on self-defense techniques, but sometimes Mia Rinaldi – a water user like me – would come in and teach me whatever offensive magic techniques she'd discovered. Water wasn't quite as handy an element as earth or fire, or even air, when it came to fighting Strigoi, but Mia had proven that it wasn't completely useless either, at least, as a distraction. We practiced ways to divert an aggressor's attention using whatever water was around, sometimes even using our own sweat if there happened to be no available water sources. It was gross, but it could theoretically work in a tight situation. Mia hadn't exactly been out to fight hordes of Strigoi or anything, but when she'd had a chance, she made sure to give them hell before they got a quick stake in the heart by a guardian.

So compared to most other Moroi, I considered myself pretty capable when it came to self-defense, at least against any attackers that hadn't yet joined the undead. But even though I'd learned many ways in which to disengage myself from an attacker, that didn't mean I could yet handle defending myself from a Strigoi, which was actually something Morris wanted to cover with me today before he'd had to make that trip home.

I'd just entered the gym where dhampirs came to exercise on their off hours. It was exclusively for guardian use, as most Moroi – royal and non-royal alike – have no need for punching bags, and probably wouldn't know how to throw a punch if their life depended on it. At most, Moroi will do simple weight lifting, but strenuous exercise was not something one would normally see a Moroi do. Especially not a royal. Forget about a princess.

I guess this was why when I'd run into Moroi after I'd been sweating it out in the gym for a few hours, they were surprised by my appearance. They probably hadn't anticipated seeing me around the Royal Court in a damp t-shirt or sweatpants. Maybe they'd expected glass slippers, or a luxurious dress that matches my pale jade-green eyes, and priceless jewels that dangle from every inch of me.

Yeah, because like I wear _those_ every day.

I couldn't figure out why many Moroi were still so against learning how to fight. Or at the very least, learning to defend themselves. It would make a guardian's job much simpler if Moroi knew just a few basic moves and avoidance techniques. It wouldn't guarantee their safety against a Strigoi, but it would increase their and their guardians' chances of coming out of an attack alive.

Eddie was ready for me when I arrived. He looked comfortable in a pair of dark grey athletic pants and a white cotton t-shirt. We must've been shopping at the same store because we were wearing nearly the same outfit. However, I somehow doubted that his pants said _Juicy_ across the butt like mine did today. Though it wouldn't have been any less true if they had, in my opinion.

Knowing the drill, I got down on the mat and began my warm-up routine. If I was ever in a position where I needed to fight for my life against a Strigoi, I'd probably die first of a torn muscle. But that didn't mean I had to start now.

"So, Princess," Eddie said after he'd finished his warm-up and shifted into a fighter's stance. "Let's see what you can do."

He nearly clocked me in the shoulder, giving me just half a second to react to his sudden attack. I dodged just as his fist went sailing by my ear. Moroi reflexes were just quick as a dhampir's, but he'd had more training. And he was _not_ going easy on me.

I liked him even more already.

I barely had to think about putting my hands up to guard my face. I'd been doing this enough that it came naturally to me. I watched Eddie's body, focusing on the way he moved.

Okay, and trying not to get too distracted by how good he looked.

But it's important to know your opponent's movements. If you know how they move, you can begin to predict what they'll do next and maybe even be able to make an attack of your own. If Morris had taught me anything, it's that you have to be prepared for an attack. _Never underestimate your enemy_.

Eddie'd been clearly surprised by my moves. Like anyone, he'd probably expected the little princess to be useless in hand-to-hand combat. _Think again_, I thought just as my fist went out and connected with his shoulder.

He circled away, my hit sliding cleanly off. But I'd made contact. It still count.

He feigned right and I began to move in just as his foot came up. I ducked my head just in time, but the end of my ponytail felt it. He wasn't afraid to hit me. Which worked out well because I didn't want him to think I couldn't handle it.

I could handle it.

That was what I'd thought when his foot came out of nowhere and caught me by the ankles, sweeping me off my feet. I landed loudly on the mat, my elbows stinging.

Somewhere in there I'd forgotten to pay attention.

I got up quickly in one of those Jackie Chan style flip moves, sliding easily into my fighter stance. He grinned at me, but I wouldn't take the bait.

_Time to pull out the big guns_, I thought. Just as he began to kick up his leg, I noticed the flaw in his attack and used it to my advantage, feigning a strike at his groin. He saw me aiming for his vulnerable spot, but wouldn't have been able to stop me in time… if hitting him was what I'd planned to do. Which it wasn't.

I body slammed him and we fell together, him landing with a loud smack against the mat and me… on top of him.

My breath was loud in my ears. This guy really got me worked up. He felt hard beneath me, his lean muscles firm under my weight. His forehead sweaty, his scent an intoxicating mist to my senses. His smell invaded my brain like a noxious vapor, only sweeter and even more irresistible.

But just as deadly.

I got a good look at his eyes, focused directly up at me. They were hazel.

"You were going easy on me, right?" I asked after I remembered to breathe.

He blinked and smiled up at me. "Morris is training you up good. You're a tough opponent." We began to move out of that compromising position, untangling our limbs and regaining that personal, private space, unbroken when not sparring.

I sat back on my heels and wiped my forehead with the back of my hand, sweaty and tired after our workout.

"So, you wanna tell me what you were really doing out in the courtyard this morning?" Eddie asked after our heavy breathing returned to normal. His question had completely derailed that image I'd held of his surprised hazel eyes, the way he felt as I pinned him beneath me.

I shook my head, erasing the rest of the memory like an image in an Etch a Sketch. "You'll think I'm crazy if I tell you."

"I've seen crazy. Trust me. Whatever it is, it probably isn't that bad." I watched him curiously, wondering if telling him was a smart move. "Just try me," he said when I didn't say anything. And he was too compelling, too nice. Too interested. I felt like I could tell him anything.

"Well… it's not something that's easy to put into words… I guess I'm just sick of this place. I can't go anywhere and I feel like this place is slowly sucking the life out of me. Too much political junk going on and I can't wrap my head around it all."

"Then is that what that was this morning? You were trying to escape?"

"No," I scoffed. He gave me a look and I knew he knew I was lying. "Yes," I sighed. "I just can't breathe here. Three years ago I wouldn't have had this problem. Of course three years ago I didn't know about any of this."

"Well I don't like that you were planning to leave without anyone knowing. It's too dangerous out there for Moroi, and _especially_ dangerous for princesses. Even if they _can_ hold their own against trained guardians." He smiled warmly at me. "But I get it. You're burned out with this place. The same scenery, the same people. The same bureaucratic crazies. So here's what we'll do. We'll see if we can get you away for a day. Would that help?"

"They'll never go for that. It's too risky."

"But if you could, would it help? You won't pull anymore disappearing acts if I can get you outside of Court for a few hours?"

"You would do that?" I glanced up at him, watching his eyes.

"If it keeps you sane, yeah. No offense to the Queen or anything, but I think you're the only person here that hasn't walked off the sanity bridge."

"I don't think it'll work."

"I'll talk to Rose. Maybe she can swing something with the Queen."

"Thank you," I said, and he smiled at me again. I'd never get tired of that. He stood and offered me his hand to help me up.

He started to pick up his belongings, our training session over for the day. I could hardly believe how quickly our hour together had come and gone. This would probably be our one and only session together unless I could convince Morris he wasn't a good enough teacher. I doubted I could do that to him though, no matter how super cute Eddie was. Despite that, I didn't want today to be over yet.

"Was there something else?" he asked, noticing I hadn't moved a muscle to help pick up the equipment.

"Yeah. Can you show me something new?"

He smiled, dropping his bag and readying his fighter's stance.

* * *

A couple days later Eddie came to me with the good news.

"You're going," he said with a smile. He stood next to me as I waited for the chocolate éclair I'd ordered at the café near the dhampir buildings.

"Where?"

"Anywhere you want… in the state of Pennsylvania." He must have seen the way my face fell at hearing that last bit because he added hastily, "But you get the day. Saturday."

"What the hell is there to do in _Pennsylvania_?" I whined, wishing I'd been allowed to go somewhere more interesting like… Disney World. Las Vegas. Hell.

Oh wait, I was already there wasn't I?

"I don't know. There has to be _something_," he said, determined to make this alright for me.

Instead of being a shithead, I tried to be a little more accommodating. I mean, he'd done so much for me already. "Well, I have been needing to buy Christmas presents."

"So go to the mall. There's a big one in Philadelphia that seems to be your style – the King of Prussia. It's about two hours away."

I considered my options. There wasn't anything around here that I hadn't already seen. But to be able to leave Court for a few hours and go shopping? It was the best deal I would get. "Philadelphia it is then," I said, giving him a small, appreciative smile, trying to show him how grateful I was for taking the time to set this up for me.

He threw me a boyish grin and patted my shoulder on his way back to patrolling the perimeter. I watched him as he walked away, thinking – okay, obsessing – about that brief touch and how his hand had slid slightly down to my shoulder blade before he headed off.

Was it crazy that I wanted him to touch me again?


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Since this chapter was already done, I figured I'd put it up now. :D_

**Disclaimer:** Jill and Eddie belong to Richelle Mead. I just play with them._  
_

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**The Trouble with Dragomir Princesses**

Chapter Three

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When Eddie said I got the day, he literally meant the _day_, as in those few hours of light before sunset.

I felt gypped.

Since it took two hours to get from the Royal Court to the mall, we'd had to leave at 8AM. The mall didn't open until 10 either way, so it worked out pretty well. But sunset would be around 4:30PM, and in order to be back at Court at that time, we'd have to leave the mall by 2:30. This only gave me a little over four hours to play with.

The ride there was uneventful. I was in a car with Serena and Morris and another guardian behind the wheel I didn't know very well, and I knew there were at least two other cars with a number of guardians following us. It was like my own secret service convoy. They must've thought I was in a great deal of danger if I required this much security during _daylight_ hours when there was virtually no immediate threat of a Strigoi attack. Or possibility of one.

The mall was pretty spectacular. Since it was so close to Christmas, each store was decorated for the holiday season with lighted trees of every size and wreaths and ornament balls in varying colors. I even stopped to see the long row of human kids accompanied by their parents in line to visit Santa. Mannequins were dressed up in all the new seasonal styles. All the shoppers flitted around into stores, checking off Christmas gifts during the holiday rush I was sure.

Since there was so much to see and too many things to do within the short hours I had available, I figured if I spent no more than five minutes in each store, I could hit more stores. This plan fell through however, as I accidentally spent a great deal of time in Janie & Jack, delighted by all the baby clothes. There were just too many cute outfits, and I ended up buying whole collections for both boys and girls since I wasn't sure what Lissa and Christian were expecting.

I decided to spend my time exclusively shopping around for Christmas gifts, one for each of my friends back at Court, and of course, something for my parents as well. I decided on some thermal shirts for Rose because she liked practical things like that. I'd have liked to get her something expensive and girly, but she wouldn't have any use for jewelry because it would interfere while guarding, and she wouldn't like for me to lavish her with gifts she would never use.

For Dimitri, I picked up a hot chocolate gift basket complete with mug since I knew how much he liked the hot beverage during the holidays. I also bought him a Borders giftcard. He always had the same Western novels in hand whenever I saw him. Maybe it was time he got some new reading material.

Other than those baby clothes, I didn't have anything for Christian or Lissa. Christian was the hardest to shop for. I knew him the best of everyone, but it's always harder to shop for someone you know well because nothing ever seems good enough. Doubly so for someone you hardly knew. I looked down at my purchases. The baby clothes would have to be enough.

We were coming upon 1PM and I'd gotten just about everything I needed but felt like I'd hardly done anything at all. Only a short time left for myself. I wished I didn't have to leave so soon. I wished I hadn't been rushed and could've enjoyed the sights a little longer.

I wished I was normal so I could have more days like this.

* * *

"Princess, would you like to get your food to go, or eat here? We have enough time before we need to head out."

"Yeah, that sounds good."

"Any restaurant in particular?"

I decided on The Cheesecake Factory because of all of the delicious smells and wonderful looking cheese pies in the window displays.

Serena, Morris and I took a booth and they immediately began to pour over the menu. I wondered if the other guardians were hungry, as it had been nearly six hours since we'd left Court. According to our schedules, we should still be asleep in bed and getting ready to start our day in a few hours. But since humans have daylight schedules, we had to plan accordingly. And since the sun would be setting in just a few short hours, we needed to be heading back to Court soon if we didn't want to risk being on the road after sunset.

"The pasta here looks incredible," Serena said, gazing ravenously at the pictures provided in the menu.

"I think I'll go with a burger. Nothing more classic than that," Morris said smiling warmly at me, certain of his choice.

The waiter came over with our drinks and took our orders. I decided on the rib-eye. Rare.

Despite how crowded the place was, our food didn't take very long to get to us. And man, didn't it smell wonderful. I hadn't eaten much at all that day as we toured the mall and was starved. I could smell my rib-eye, see how pink and juicy it was. Still bloody, the way I'd ordered it. My mouth began to water and I so, so badly would have liked to taste it, but I felt jittery just as the waiter set our food down.

My time was almost up and I wasn't ready to go back to Court, back to my prison.

I needed to get up, and I used the excuse that I had to use the restroom so that my strange behavior wouldn't seem quite so weird to my two guardians. Serena had to stand, as I was sitting on the inside of the booth and she was blocking the way. She followed me to the bathrooms of course, but we told Morris he could start without us.

Serena led us in the direction of the bathrooms, but stopped me just as we came upon the swinging door.

"Hang back for a minute, Princess. I need to do a sweep first." I sighed, crossing my arms over my chest and rolling my eyes.

That was when I noticed that we were very near an exit.

And the exit was obstacle free.

I warred with myself then. Where would I go if I could just leave right now? How far could I get before they noticed I was gone? How much trouble would I get in once they caught up with me? And I knew they would.

Some glitch in my brain told me to go for it, told me it wouldn't be so bad. Sunset was still a few hours away, and I desperately needed to breathe fresh air, air that hadn't been polluted by the breaths of the many guardians at my back. My heart began to pound heavily in my chest. _Go, just go,_ it seemed to say.

With Serena's back still turned, I started to silently make my way towards the door, glancing up at Morris at the end of the row and knowing his eyes were trained very carefully on that burger of his. With a light foot, I tracked slowly so as not to draw any attention but also to look like any other casual customer leaving the restaurant. A family was just ahead of me with their two brown-haired children, and I tried my best to blend in with them as we exited together.

I couldn't believe it.

I was free.

And not a one of my guardians were any the wiser.

I took off across the street, walking with the small crowd of people as they headed away from the mall. I didn't have much of a disguise on me, save the knit slouch hat I'd worn to go shopping today and I did my best to stuff my unruly curls beneath it. My comfortable jeans and pale green sweater probably wouldn't make me stand out too much among this crowd, but they also wouldn't keep me very warm in this nearly freezing weather. What a stupid idea to go on the run without a warm jacket.

The problem now, other than my lack of outerwear, was to figure out which direction to head in. I knew there were guardians positioned at many of the entrances of the mall, but it wasn't like I was heading back in there. There was probably one with the car in the large parking lot near the Plaza, way at the other end of the mall lot where we'd parked. And I'd just ditched the two in the restaurant with me. That left the three or four guardians who'd been instructed to watch the outside, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Probably also to keep me in sight in case I left. But with how large this mall was, I doubted the guardians could keep track of all of the exits. As it was, I didn't see anybody I recognized as I made my way across the street to the parking garage. I trailed a little ways behind the family I'd exited the restaurant with, ducking my head behind the tall man in front of me just in case.

I felt awesome, like a convict on the run. The icy wind hit my face and it woke me up to the freedom I was suddenly feeling. It was a rush to escape, such a liberating sensation knowing there weren't any eyes on me.

Except, well, there were.

My heart sank and my throat constricted, knowing I was in deep shit as Eddie ran at me. The family I'd snuck behind had since gotten into their car and driven away, leaving me exposed and easily spotted among the cool colors of the family vans and snazzy sports cars. I could see Eddie shouting into his earpiece, no doubt alerting every guardian within a five mile radius to my whereabouts. Was I injured? Negative. Was I safe? _Not for long…_

Eddie grabbed me by my bicep and tugged me forward, a scowl on his face.

"Why do you keep running away?" he demanded. "Don't you know how reckless you're being?"

He dragged me to an elevator and led me towards a black unmarked car on the second level, similar to the one I'd traveled in. Apparently Eddie had chauffeured the extra guardians in a second car. Still gripping me tight, he opened the rear passenger door and pushed me forward, forcing me down into the cold leather seat. I understood that I'd done something crazy, but he didn't have to manhandle me so much. He reached over to yank the seatbelt across my torso when I locked gazes with him.

Before I'd even realized what I was doing, I was speaking aloud, our eyes still locked on each other. "Drive," I told him. "Drive us away from here."

I'd never used compulsion on anyone before and knew that what I was doing was at least a million times worse than ditching my guardians had been. But Eddie was already turning away, zombielike as he got behind the wheel. He started the engine and we began to reverse out of the space just as Serena and Morris showed up. "Lock the doors," I commanded, knowing the connection I'd formed with Eddie was still strong. The doors locked up tight just as Serena went to grip the handle. She blinked in surprise, Morris shouting, "What the hell are you doing? Unlock the damn doors!"

Eddie glanced around to see me in the backseat. "Don't listen to them," I said gently. "Just drive." He turned back around and put the gear in drive and we started to move forward. "Drive," I said again more urgently as Morris began banging on the window with his fist.

Serena and Morris weren't fast enough to catch us, though they ran a good ways as we sped down one level and out the garage. I didn't know where I wanted to go, but I began to feel sick in my stomach knowing that I'd be in a crazy amount of trouble if my guardians managed to catch up with me soon. Was tricking them really worth the trouble?

_Yes_, I thought. Because I was still free of them, and they couldn't guess any better than I could at where I was headed next. But I could probably expect a lovely tracking device locked around my ankle when I eventually returned to Court.

I could hear the shouts out of Eddie's earpiece, Serena's voice coming over as shrill and frantic as she tried to engage him. I commanded Eddie to remove his earpiece and give it to me. When he passed it over I listened briefly to the feedback coming through. They knew we'd left the lot. They tried to contact Eddie and figure out what in the hell made him think he could just drive away like he had. That was when I turned the dang thing off. Eddie took an entrance ramp onto an expressway and it was a straight shot from there to wherever we would end up.

As I sank back against the plush leather seats I began to consider how reckless my behavior had become within the past few days. Why was I doing this exactly? Honestly, what good would it do me? Even if I managed to get away for a short time, the risk I ran of getting attacked by Strigoi or another enemy was too great. And if something happened to me, Lissa would have to give up her throne.

But I couldn't help it. I _needed_ to get away. It was so hard to breathe, knowing that everybody could see me. Was watching me. I had to get away. If I didn't… I felt like I might die.

Just then Eddie swerved sharply, nearly hitting another car on the expressway. He cursed loudly in alarm and that was when I realized I'd lost the connection. He was no longer under my control. He didn't speak, though I could see how furious he was with me from the tight set of his jaw. Looking left, he pulled into a nearly empty Park & Ride. Turning off the engine he sat back in the driver's seat and let out a frustrated breath that sounded more like a curse word before letting me have it.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he said angrily, turning around in time to see me flinch at the harshness of his voice. "Do you _want_ to get yourself killed or something? Because at this rate you'll be dead within the week!"

"I didn't mean to–"

"You didn't mean to what? Run away?"

"I was going to say I didn't mean to use compulsion on you. I've never actually done it before. I'm sorry."

"But you're not sorry for endangering yours and all of your guardians' lives though, right?"

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"No, _I'm_ sorry," he said, starting up the car. "Sorry your recklessness almost got us both killed. Sorry I helped you. Now, _give me back my earpiece_." I handed it over and he yanked it roughly out of my grasp. Switching it back on, he realized we were out of range to contact the others through it, so he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and called, I could only assume, the guardians who'd been with us at the mall today. "We're at a Park & Ride on…" he glanced over at the GPS on the front panel. "…Matsonford Road. Yeah, we'll be here." Then he hung up.

A minute of tense silence with Eddie felt like an eternity, one in which you wanted to curl in on yourself and repent. Somehow, this guy could make you feel worse than you already did without saying a word to you.

Any minute now my legion would arrive to take me back to my prison. Instead of Jailbait, Adrian's nickname for me should've been Jail_bird_.

I couldn't take the silence anymore, and I felt so bad about what I'd done to him. Also, Eddie looked like he was getting ready to implode or something with how stiff he was at the wheel. I didn't know if he would accept any of my apologies, but at least he'd know it wasn't anything personal.

"I can't stand it," I said quietly, wringing my hands together, and knowing that all eleven of my guardians were making their way to me. I had such little time left to explain. "I hate feeling like I'm trapped. With so many people watching me…I feel like I'm suffocating."

Was any of this making sense to him? Or was I being completely irrational?

The tension in Eddie's shoulders released and his white-knuckled hold on the steering wheel loosened. "We can't do our job if you don't let us. We can't protect you if you're constantly trying to get away," he said. He wasn't quite as angry as before, though his voice was still firm when he turned to face me. "Can you even imagine what would've happened if we lost you? If something happened to you? This isn't a game."

"They wouldn't even let me go home to see my parents for Christmas," I said sadly. I barely got to see those two. Unless they visited me while I'd been safely inside the protected gates of St. Vladimir's Academy, or took time off work to see me over the summer while I was at Court, I never got to spend any time with them. The guardians' idea of keeping me safe was apparently confining me every place I went. Somehow, in a giant mall full of thousands of holiday shoppers, I was completely alone. I guess I could forget about ever having a life or friends. "They only need me alive because Lissa can't be Queen without me."

He looked at me, stricken. "Why do you think that?"

"Because it's true," I said simply. "No one really cares about me. They keep me locked up like a pet because they don't want me to get hurt."

And it was true. The only reason I even spent time with Lissa during our forced breakfasts was because it looked good. So that we could _say_ that we spent time together even though words normally weren't passed between us. If I talked to anyone during that half hour of agony it was Rose. Christian and his guardian, Dimitri Belikov, would occasionally show up for those breakfasts… when Christian bothered to wake up in time. But for the most part, whenever I was here, I may well not have been. My presence didn't make any impact on Lissa other than for her to have her seat on the throne.

"Jill…" he said, shaking his head in disbelief, and I was surprised he'd actually used my name. "Now that's the dumbest thing you've done all night."

Well, that was like a boot in the ass. "I- what?" I said, flustered.

"Saying that nobody cares about you. That the only reason they protect you is because they can't let you die. Yes, Lissa can't be queen unless you're there. Yes, we protect you because we want Lissa to remain queen. But we _do_ care. Rose cares. And I care."

"Listen, I'm sorry you couldn't go home for the holidays, but your safety is too important to take risks on. At least, _we_ feel that way." The fact that I apparently was so free with risking my own life was implied in his tone. "Princess, we would give our lives to protect you."

And there we were, back with the whole "princess" bit.

Now I really felt like crying. Not only had I begun to resent that title, but that trapped feeling and the added disappointment of not being allowed to go home to be with my family only made things worse. I hadn't realized how seriously these little things had begun to weigh on me, turning me into some insane escape artist. And not even a successful one at that. But with Eddie telling me he'd protect me with his life, saying I'm not just a body to be protected, but a _person _that people actually cared about, I began to see how stupid I'd been in trying to run away.

Maybe this was all I'd needed to hear?

Now didn't that sound childish.

"Well, then I hope you don't lose your job. Because if someone's gonna have to watch me, I hope it's you."

He turned back around, looking a lot less hostile and a little more sheepish. Maybe it'd been something I said.

It wasn't long after that until the guardians arrived. Or, well, half of them anyway. I was sure the others were around somewhere, but the ones who'd pulled into the parking lot were with Morris and Serena. They both looked so disappointed, and I couldn't help but think about what Eddie had said.


End file.
